Marco Panza – författare

Alexander Grothendieck is often considered one of the greatest mathematicians of the twentieth century (if not all time), and his unique vision continues to impact and inspire many fields and researchers today. Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, this edited volume explores the profound influence his work and ideas have had not only on mathematics, but also on logic and philosophy. Chapters are written by international scholars, and many were inspired by talks given at the conference “Grothendieck, A Multifarious Giant” at Chapman University (May 24-28, 2022). Some chapters are written from a historical perspective and discuss the development of the main themes that characterized Grothendieck's work. Others are more mathematical in nature, analyzing and extending some of his more relevant and obscure results that are still not well understood. Philosophical implications and applications in logic are the subjects of other chapters. This volume will be of interest not only to mathematicians working in algebraic geometry, category theory, and other areas to which Grothendieck contributed, but also to philosophers, logicians, and historians of science.

Alexander Grothendieck is often considered one of the greatest mathematicians of the twentieth century (if not all time), and his unique vision continues to impact and inspire many fields and researchers today. Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, this edited volume explores the profound influence his work and ideas have had not only on mathematics, but also on logic and philosophy. Chapters are written by international scholars, and many were inspired by talks given at the conference “Grothendieck, A Multifarious Giant” at Chapman University (May 24-28, 2022). Some chapters are written from a historical perspective and discuss the development of the main themes that characterized Grothendieck's work. Others are more mathematical in nature, analyzing and extending some of his more relevant and obscure results that are still not well understood. Philosophical implications and applications in logic are the subjects of other chapters. This volume will be of interest not only to mathematicians working in algebraic geometry, category theory, and other areas to which Grothendieck contributed, but also to philosophers, logicians, and historians of science.

This first of a two-volume book discusses the process of conceptual recasting of mathematical contents under a new and more convenient form, complying with the ideal of epistemic economy (expressing the same content by appealing to fewer or minimal conceptual resources).

This book is intended as conceptual introduction to three mathematical theories arising from the attempt to understand (actual) infinity. Though the treatment does not avoid technical aspects, it tries to explain their origins and purposes. The book is divided into three parts, each composed of two chapters and a few appendices. Each part presents in detail one of three moments in which mathematicians made a concerted effort to control the idea of infinity: Projective Geometry, Infinitesimal Calculus, and Set Theory. The text includes exercises and philosophical and/or historical remarks. It is written both for non-mathematicians interested in understanding the most relevant ideas that govern these theories, and for professional mathematicians interested in exploring the possibility of a conceptually-engaged presentation of mathematical contents. The book can be used for advanced undergraduate students, as well as for beginning graduate students.

This second of a two-volume book prolongs the inquiry of volume 1 by considering other examples apt to better illustrate the ideal of epistemic economy in mathematical recasting. The new examples are drawn from second-order definitions of real numbers and allow the comparison of three different approaches to the definition of these numbers: by domain extension, as ratios of magnitudes, and as bicimal developments. These definitions are presented in detail (by often going further than any available presentation) and compared with respect to their epistemic economy. In doing so, original results and insights are offered, such as a faithful and still consistent rephrasing of Frege’s definitions of reals, and an original and epistemically highly economical definition of real numbers as bicimal developments. This ensures the book is of interest to scholars and students in the philosophy of mathematics and logic.

This book brings together young researchers from a variety of fields within mathematics, philosophy and logic. It discusses questions that arise in their work, as well as themes and reactions that appear to be similar in different contexts. The book shows that a fairly intensive activity in the philosophy of mathematics is underway, due on the one hand to the disillusionment with respect to traditional answers, on the other to exciting new features of present day mathematics. The book explains how the problem of applicability once again plays a central role in the development of mathematics. It examines how new languages different from the logical ones (mostly figural), are recognized as valid and experimented with and how unifying concepts (structure, category, set) are in competition for those who look at this form of unification. It further shows that traditional philosophies, such as constructivism, while still lively, are no longer only philosophies, but guidelines for research. Finally, the book demonstrates that the search for and validation of new axioms is analyzed with a blend of mathematical historical, philosophical, psychological considerations.

This book examines three connected aspects of Frege’s logicism: the differences between Dedekind’s and Frege’s interpretation of the term ‘logic’ and related terms and reflects on Frege’s notion of function, comparing its understanding and the role it played in Frege’s and Lagrange’s foundational programs.

This book brings together young researchers from a variety of fields within mathematics, philosophy and logic. It discusses questions that arise in their work, as well as themes and reactions that appear to be similar in different contexts. The book shows that a fairly intensive activity in the philosophy of mathematics is underway, due on the one hand to the disillusionment with respect to traditional answers, on the other to exciting new features of present day mathematics. The book explains how the problem of applicability once again plays a central role in the development of mathematics. It examines how new languages different from the logical ones (mostly figural), are recognized as valid and experimented with and how unifying concepts (structure, category, set) are in competition for those who look at this form of unification. It further shows that traditional philosophies, such as constructivism, while still lively, are no longer only philosophies, but guidelines for research. Finally, the book demonstrates that the search for and validation of new axioms is analyzed with a blend of mathematical historical, philosophical, psychological considerations.

This book examines three connected aspects of Frege’s logicism: the differences between Dedekind’s and Frege’s interpretation of the term ‘logic’ and related terms and reflects on Frege’s notion of function, comparing its understanding and the role it played in Frege’s and Lagrange’s foundational programs.